Farm first aid requirements come from the same law that covers every UK workplace, but few workplaces test that law as hard as a working farm. Machinery, livestock, vehicles, chemicals and work at height all sit side by side, often miles from the nearest ambulance station. When something goes wrong, the first person on the scene is usually a colleague or family member, not a paramedic.
The latest figures show why this matters. HSE provisional data for 2025/26 recorded 29 deaths in agriculture, forestry and fishing in Great Britain: 22 workers and 7 members of the public, three of whom were children. Measured per 100,000 workers, the sector's fatal injury rate is five times higher than construction and 21 times the all-industry average. This guide sets out what UK law requires, how many first aiders a farm needs, what a farm first aid kit should contain and how to plan for remote, high-risk work.
What UK law says about first aid on farms
The core legal duty sits in the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. Regulation 3 requires every employer to provide adequate and appropriate first aid equipment, facilities and people, based on an assessment of their own circumstances. Regulation 4 requires employers to tell staff what those arrangements are, including where the kit is kept and who the first aiders are.
HSE's agriculture guide, Farmwise (HSG270), is direct on the point: all farms must have first aid equipment available, matched to the incidents that could happen. Two other pieces of law usually come into play:
- The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require procedures for "serious and imminent danger", in other words an emergency plan
- RIDDOR 2013, which requires certain injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences to be recorded and reported to HSE
Is a first aid kit a legal requirement on a farm?
Yes. Any farm that employs people must provide a suitably stocked first aid container that is easy to reach in an emergency. The law does not dictate the exact contents, so the kit should reflect the hazards identified in your first aid needs assessment.
One common misconception is worth clearing up. BS 8599-1, the British Standard for workplace first aid kits, is not itself a legal requirement. It is a widely used benchmark that helps employers show their provision is adequate, and buying a BS 8599-1 kit is the simplest way to meet the standard of a "suitably stocked" container. The current version is BS 8599-1:2019+A1:2026.
Do self-employed farmers need a first aid kit?
Yes. This is where farming differs from most other sectors. Since 2015, most self-employed people with no employees have been exempt from general health and safety duties, but agriculture is one of a small number of activities where the duties still apply. Regulation 5 of the First-Aid Regulations requires a self-employed person in a prescribed activity, which includes agricultural work, to provide equipment adequate and appropriate to give first aid to themselves while at work.
For a sole trader working alone across a large holding, that usually means carrying a personal kit rather than relying on one box in the farmhouse.
How many first aiders does a farm need?
There is no fixed legal number. HSE's Approved Code of Practice and guidance, L74 (First aid at work), gives suggested minimums that employers should adjust to their own risk assessment. Most farm work, with its machinery, sharp tools and livestock, falls into the higher hazard category:
- Fewer than 5 workers: at least one appointed person to take charge of first aid arrangements
- 5 to 50 workers: at least one first aider trained in Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) or First Aid at Work (FAW), depending on the injuries that could occur
- More than 50 workers: at least one FAW first aider for every 50 workers, or part thereof
These figures are a starting point, not a ceiling. L74 notes that remoteness from emergency services, shift patterns and split sites can all justify more first aid cover. On a farm, people often work alone or in small teams across different fields and buildings, so a single first aider in the yard may be too far away to help. Seasonal peaks matter too: harvest, lambing and casual or agency labour can push headcount well above normal levels.
Farm assurance schemes can also set expectations. Red Tractor requires all members to have a written health and safety policy, which should name the person responsible for first aid and state where supplies are kept, and some sector standards expect at least one trained first aider on the farm.
What should be in a farm first aid kit?
A standard workplace kit covers everyday cuts, grazes and minor injuries, but agricultural first aid needs to go further. A practical approach is to build provision in layers.
The main workplace kit
Keep a BS 8599-1 workplace kit, sized for the number of people on site, in a fixed and signposted location such as the farm office or main workshop. It should be dust and water resistant and checked regularly.
Travelling kits for vehicles and remote work
Farmwise specifically recommends travelling first aid kits carried on tractors and other vehicles, and for particularly hazardous tasks such as chainsaw work. A compact kit in each tractor cab, telehandler, pickup and ATV means help travels with the work. Personal issue kits are a sensible option for anyone who regularly works alone.
Critical injury packs for severe bleeding
Contact with machinery, falling objects and livestock can all cause serious bleeding, and in a rural location that injury may need managing for some time before an ambulance arrives. BS 8599-1 includes a critical injury pack category designed to supplement a standard kit where there is a risk of serious, life-threatening bleeding. These packs typically contain trauma dressings, haemostatic dressings and a tourniquet. They should only be used by people trained to use them, so look for first aid for farmers courses that cover severe bleeding.
Specialist additions
Depending on your activities, your needs assessment may point to:
- Eyewash where dusts, fertilisers or veterinary and plant protection products are handled
- Burn dressings for workshops, welding and hot work
- Foil blankets for casualties who may wait outside in cold or wet weather
Planning first aid for remote and high-risk work
Meeting farm first aid requirements takes more than equipment. Farmwise highlights that much agricultural work takes place far from emergency medical services, so your arrangements must work in practice, not just on paper. A good plan covers:
- Location details. Make sure the emergency services can find you. Farmwise advises checking that they have your OS map reference, and it helps to record what3words locations or gate names for outlying fields.
- Communication. Consider mobile phones or two-way radios for anyone working alone or out of sight, and check signal coverage across the holding.
- Lone working checks. Agree regular check-in times so that an injured worker is missed quickly.
- Visitors and contractors. Make sure contractors, vets and seasonal workers know where kits are kept and how to raise the alarm.
- Children and the public. HSE warns that children should not be in the farm workplace. If you run an open farm or farm shop, include visitors in your needs assessment.
After any incident, record it in your accident book and check whether it needs to be reported under RIDDOR.
Practical takeaways
- Carry out and record a first aid needs assessment that reflects your machinery, livestock, remoteness and seasonal workforce
- Provide at least one BS 8599-1 workplace kit, plus travelling kits for vehicles and remote tasks
- If you are self-employed, provide a kit for yourself: agriculture is a prescribed activity under Regulation 5
- Use L74's higher hazard figures as a minimum and add cover for split sites, lone work and harvest peaks
- Add critical injury packs where machinery or tool use creates a risk of severe bleeding, and train people to use them
- Name your first aid lead and kit locations in your health and safety policy
Equip your farm with MedWare
MedWare helps farms and rural businesses across the UK meet farm first aid requirements, supplying workplace first aid kits, trauma and severe bleed products, eyewash and burns supplies. Browse our first aid kits and supplies or our trauma and severe bleeds range. Equipping several sites or vehicles? Open a trade account for volume pricing and a tailored supply plan.